It is known in the art to place images on substrates, such as floors, walls doors, non-structural panels, furniture and the like. It is also known in the art to use sublimation to place these images onto these substrates. However, conventional processes and techniques require placement of the sublimated image on the exposed, wear surface of the structural member, such as an upper floor surface or a utility surface of a table top. Also, conventional techniques rely on materials such as laminated plastics which have a tendency to deform as a result of relatively lesser hardness and rigidity and, consequently, become scratched and disfigured. To overcome such issues, it is conventional to coat the images and substrates with a protective layer in an attempt to enhance the wearability and longevity of the images.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,452,604, U.S. Pat. No. 5,188,876, U.S. Pat. No. 4,232,076, U.S. Pat. No. 6,025,023, U.S. Pat. No. 6,482,285, U.S. Pat. No. 6,000,793, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,332,941 all disclose various known techniques of placing an image on an exposed, wear surface. Typically colored coated materials according to these teachings take the form of small pieces or tiles which are assembled into a desired mosaic pattern that must be laid down and affixed with considerable labor and effort. Moreover, gaps between abutting pieces must be filled with a water resistant sealant which adversely impacts the aesthetics of the overall image quality.
The above referenced art suffers from several additional shortcomings. For example, a color image imprinted or coated on an exposed exterior/wear surface which may or may not be covered by a protective coating typically degrades over time and differentially erodes due to exposure to ambient conditions and erosive forces, e.g., foot traffic, dropped utensils, etc. Materials selected as the substrate or carrier of the image, most typically plastics, whether coated or not with an abrasion-resistant layer, and even metals and ceramics, have a tendency to wear, deform, scratch, and generally degrade. Also, where the prior art suggests or teaches placement of an image on an exposed wear surface intended for user contact, it follows naturally that the imaged substrate surface will be exposed to a greater amount of distress/abrasion/trauma. Even combining teachings from the prior art to address wear/erosion/traffic damage merely leads to the use of protective layers and or laminations, while perhaps serving to enhance image longevity, also cause degradation and/or distortion of image resolution.
Relatively more expensive interior glass laser etching techniques have been suggested as a means to maximize image preservation by effectively imbedding the image in the glass sheet. However, such techniques are limited essentially to monochromatic representations and require expensive equipment and precise control. Other known art discloses alternative techniques for producing, for example, pixilated arrays on glass surfaces. One such multi-step process, described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,981,112, contemplates repeated use of lift off procedures, mechanical/chemical polishing, and/or close space sublimation/etching processes for each color.
Still other known art is directed to alternative approaches for multicolor image generation on glass. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,336,723 describes generating a computer-controlled printer image on relatively large sheets of glass. The process relies on light-fast inks (e.g., glass sintered powders with pigments/enamels) directly applied to a glass sheet which is then fired at in excess of 450° C.
Additional teachings relating to the manufacture of simulated stained glass are identified in Sikorski, U.S. Pat. No. 6,357,103, which relies on adhering a laser printed, imaged/colored polyester film to glass with resin, preferably an epoxy.
To imprint vanity/custom images, photographs, children's art work, etc., by sublimation onto relatively small ceramic surfaces, e.g., coffee mugs, plates, etc., is now well known. An effective sublimation-transfer receptor-surface coating and technique is described in Valenty, U.S. Pat. No. 5,234,983. This coating, Thermoglaze 2000 complies with the FDA guideline for food contact ceramic coatings. Thermaglaze 2000 is recognized for providing hard, durable, scratch resistant, coatings that protect the integrity of underlying images on the ceramic surface.
What is needed then is a new type of substrate imaging technique that provides a long lasting, multicolored image of high resolution and clarity of on generally transparent surfaces even when exposed to substantial wear forces. The same is equally desirable in a form that results in the formation of a sublimated image that is viewable in a desired direction yet is protected from exposure, wear and traffic, such as on a floor, table top, or door.